The Octopus Eats Its Own leg

  • 2017
  • Takashi Murakami
  • Premier panneau : 300 x 3500 cm - Deuxième panneau : 350 x 700 cm - Troisième panneau : 350 x 700 cm
  • 300 x 3500 cm - 350 x 700 cm - 350 x 700 cm

In keeping with the Taoist quest, which was a founding principle of Chinese philosophy, these eight citizens, who include a beggar, a sorcerer, a soldier, a woman, and an old man, are presumed to have penetrated the secrets of nature in order to attain eternal life. Inspired by 18th century Japanese paintings, the artist has reinterpreted the traditional iconography of this age-old subject and has created a vast, immersive, contemporary painting, with organic forms and a profusion of colours.

Hangs

Takashi Murakami

A leading figure in the Japanese art world, Takashi Murakami has become internationally known for his unique, uncategorisable work. He has invented a new language, characterised for more than three decades by a bold mixture of genres, influences, eras and materials.

After studying traditional painting at Tokyo University of the Arts, Murakami looked for a new form of personal expression in reaction to the context of the time, which he felt was lacking a national contemporary scene and was dominated by American culture. Driven by an unbridled imagination, Murakami creates strange and singular, dark and wonderful worlds populated by fantastical figures, fairy-tale animals, fabulous creatures, malicious monsters and abundant flora. Drawing on the political, cultural, religious and social history of Japan, Murakami borrows from the Kawaii aesthetic, anime and manga, as well as the old masters of painting and Buddhist iconography. From the atomic bomb to the tsunami and earthquakes, references to the more or less recent traumatisms that have affected his country are omnipresent in his work. Composed of a variety of forms and materials (painting, sculpture, installation, animated film, alongside pieces created by his company Kaikai Kiki), his prolific output is marked by a singular style that masterfully combines traditional pictorial techniques with the very latest technologies.

Read more

In the same hang